Microsoft is a corporate entity, so it isn’t big on emotions. But over the past few years, the company has embraced Linux in quite a few big ways.

1. Microsoft Released Its Own Linux Distribution

Azure Sphere is an operating system for ARM-based hardware. Specifically, Microsoft is targeting internet of Things devices, like smart thermostats and fitness trackers.

The part that has attracted attention? Rather than creating a Windows-based alternative, Microsoft’s Azure Sphere is based on Linux. Not only that, the product is mostly open source. It will offer what it calls royalty-free licensing to partners such as MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Toshiba.

Why?

Microsoft is competing with the likes of Amazon, which also produces Linux-based offerings. Microsoft has decided it can make more money selling Azure cloud services than trying to sell a proprietary product with an upfront cost. The company also wants to attract developers and engineers that have grown accustomed to open source technologies.

These Linux-based operating systems (or “distributions”) run via the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Technically, you don’t get the full Linux experience. The store instead provides system tools inside of the Linux shell. But with the right tinkering, you can load a complete Linux desktop inside of Windows.

Why?

Many developers and web designers view Linux and macOS as having better tools for creating software and websites. Microsoft doesn’t want to continue losing these potential customers. Also, some people that love Windows still have to regularly interact with machines that run a different operating system, such as servers. This is a way for Microsoft to address both issues.

You can also download Visual Studio Code, an integrated desktop environment. And while there isn’t a native Linux version of Microsoft Office, you can use Office 365 in a browser.

Sure, the list isn’t long, but you might be surprised to see any items on this list at all, given the former relationship.

Why?

While Microsoft is still widely associated with its Windows desktop operating system, the company’s wealth now comes from services such as Office and Azure. CEO Nadella has stated that one fifth of the operating systems on Azure are Linux. It’s now in Microsoft’s financial interest to support competing operating systems. Doing otherwise limits how far its products can reach.

If you find a bug, or if you want a feature added, the best course of action is to program those changes yourself. And that’s just what Microsoft has done over the years.

Why?

Microsoft contributions generally come in the form of drivers intended to make Linux integrate more smoothly with the company’s technologies.

In 2011, Microsoft became a top 5 contributor to Linux version 3.0 with the amount of code it introduced to make distributions play along nicely with its Hyper-V hypervisor-based virtualization system (an alternative to the Linux’s own kernel-based virtualization manager).

5. Microsoft Is a Member of the Linux Foundation

In 2016, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation at the platinum level, making it one of the highest spending members. For comparison, Google, whose Android and Chrome OS operating systems are based on Linux, is a silver member. As is Red Hat, the world’s most profitable open source company.

Why?

Like other software developers, Microsoft utilizes a number of open source projects. Investing in the Linux Foundation is one way to channel support back to these offerings that the company doesn’t have to pay for.

There’s also a decent amount of prestige that comes with having your name at the top. What kind of people are most likely to know who is a member of the Linux Foundation? Software developers, the kind of potential employees Microsoft needs to attract to stay competitive.

6. Microsoft Developers Make Linux-Related Videos

Channel 9 provides “videos for developers from the people building Microsoft products and services.” Topics range from coding and artificial intelligence to managing servers and building communities, with well over a hundred videos featuring Linux-related content.

Why?

Linux powers the web. If you’re an IT administrator or a web developer, you have to interact with Linux even if Windows 10 is your desktop of choice. Linux powers a substantial number of the world’s servers and other cloud-related technologies.

Microsoft and Open Source: It Goes Even Further

Microsoft now regularly attends, and sometimes sponsor, open source conferences. You can the companies booths at the likes of the the O’Reily Open Source Convention (OSCON), Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE), Open Source Summit, Red Hat Summit, LinuxFest, All Things Open, and others.

Microsoft is a big company with many departments. Some represent the new attitude, while for others, it’s business as usual. Windows is a proprietary as ever, and the company doesn’t want you switching your new PCs over to Linux. The code inside Microsoft Office remains available only to those people the company allows. The Xbox One runs Windows, and its ecosystem is filled with proprietary software.

I'm hoping this is an acknowledgment of Linux's appeal. I'm hoping it's an effort to contribute to the furtherance of our freewheeling, buccaneer culture. That hope, of course, would not be in keeping with history. Corporations, especially the monopolistic ones like MSFT, only enter markets to destroy consumer choice and spread their bland misery upon those of us who've managed to escape their clutches.

Microsoft could not eradicate Linux by brute force and FUD under Steve Balmer so now it is trying to do it by subversion. You can't get a leopard to change its spots.

"1. Microsoft Released Its Own Linux Distribution"
I would not use it even if it was the last and only distro in the world.

"2. Microsoft Ships Linux Distros in the Windows Store
3. Microsoft Now Designs Software for Linux
4. Microsoft Contributes to the Linux Kernel
5. Microsoft Is a Member of the Linux Foundation
6. Microsoft Developers Make Linux-Related Videos"
Which proves exactly what? Those are all sound business decisions just like Mickey Ds copying whatever Burger King, Wendy's or other fast food chains do, just to stay competitive. Let's not kid ourselves, if MS had a realistic chance, it would squash Linux like a bug and forget all their pro-Linux decisions.

Bertel is an RVA-based writer who has covered consumer tech for over five years. With a BA in History and Government from the College of William and Mary, he is as comfortable helping others understand digital rights and policy as he is reviewing apps.